During the year that he presided over truancy court in the small Southern Oregon coastal town of Brookings, Judge Gary Milliman heard all kinds of reasons that students missed school for days on end.
A student admitted that he was being bullied, a fact he hid from his family out of embarrassment. Another was regularly skipping class to accompany his pregnant girlfriend to doctor appointments. One girl said she didn’t see much point in going to school, because her boyfriend would support her financially.